This was a challenge posed by George Counts in 1932 when he addressed the Progressive Education Association.Since that time there have been a number of educators who have argued that schools should play an instrumental role in bringing about social change.Members of the PEA were often social activists (e.g. Jane Addams), and believed that schools were responsible for social progress. Counts challenged them to think beyond a more natural, Darwinian notion of gradual progress in order to achieve more radical social change during the challenging period of the Great Depression.
Here’s an essay written by William Van Til – a great curriculum scholar who I used to visit regularly when I lived in Illinois.I’d go to his retirement home and record his stories about his work in the field over the years.He poses the challenge of whether progressive education is obsolete: http://www1.indstate.edu/coe/van_til/pdf/18%20Is%20Progressive%20Education%20Obsolete.pdf
Since that time a number of educators have actively used education as a means of social change.Here are just a few.Feel free to add other educators and/or other links.
This was a challenge posed by George Counts in 1932 when he addressed the Progressive Education Association. Since that time there have been a number of educators who have argued that schools should play an instrumental role in bringing about social change. Members of the PEA were often social activists (e.g. Jane Addams), and believed that schools were responsible for social progress. Counts challenged them to think beyond a more natural, Darwinian notion of gradual progress in order to achieve more radical social change during the challenging period of the Great Depression.
George Counts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Counts
(keep in mind the source – just a quick reference, but not exactly a juried source)
Progressive Education Association
http://www.pragmatism.org/genealogy/chicago.htm
http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/articles/proged.html
Here’s an essay written by William Van Til – a great curriculum scholar who I used to visit regularly when I lived in Illinois. I’d go to his retirement home and record his stories about his work in the field over the years. He poses the challenge of whether progressive education is obsolete:
http://www1.indstate.edu/coe/van_til/pdf/18%20Is%20Progressive%20Education%20Obsolete.pdf
Since that time a number of educators have actively used education as a means of social change. Here are just a few. Feel free to add other educators and/or other links.
Paulo Freire
http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Freire.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSyaZAWIr1I
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/archive/publications/ThinkersPdf/freiree.PDF
Myles Horton
http://www3.nl.edu/academics/cas/ace/resources/myleshorton.cfm
http://www.highlandercenter.org/a-history.asp
http://www.uawregion8.net/Activist-HOF/M-Horton.htm
Bill Ayers
http://www.billayers.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbvKS0Adqg0
Your Thoughts?
How do you feel about the role of the school in bringing about social change????